Korea

S. Korea, U.N. chief voice concern over Pyongyang's missile launches

Kyodo News International — Sun, 19 May 2013 11:46:29 +0000

Kyodo News International

South Korea on Sunday condemned North Korea's short-range missile launches the previous day as "provocative" and urged Pyongyang to "act responsibly," South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.

"We find it deplorable that the North does not stop provocative actions such as the launch of missiles yesterday," unification ministry spokesman Kim Hyung Seok said in a statement quoted by Yonhap.

Seoul called on North Korea to "take responsible actions" for the sake of the international community.

N. Korea test-fires another short-range missile

Agence France-Presse — Sun, 19 May 2013 09:15:52 +0000

Agence France-Presse

North Korea Sunday test-fired a short-range missile off its east coast, its fourth in two days, despite pleas from South Korea and the UN chief to halt the launches at a time of high tensions.

The guided missile was fired into the East Sea (Sea of Japan) on Sunday afternoon, a defence ministry spokesman told AFP without elaborating.

On Saturday the North fired three short-range missiles off its east coast, apparently as part of a military drill.

N. Korea defense ministry's No. 2 official replaced: KCNA

Kyodo News International — Fri, 17 May 2013 04:45:03 +0000

Kyodo News International

North Korea has replaced the No. 2 figure at its defense ministry, according to the country's official media, marking the second change in the ministry's top leadership to be revealed in recent days.

The Korean Central News Agency, monitored in Beijing, carried a report saying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited an army factory accompanied by officials including Jon Chang Bok, whom KCNA identified as "first vice minister of the People's Armed Forces."

That position was previously held by Hyon Chol Hae.

Abe adviser Iijima meets N. Korea's No. 2 leader Kim Yong Nam

Kyodo News International — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:00:04 +0000

Kyodo News International

An adviser to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held talks Thursday with North Korea's No. 2 leader Kim Yong Nam in Pyongyang, the North's official Korean Central News Agency reported.

S. Korea calls Japan visit to N. Korea 'unhelpful'

Agence France-Presse — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:46:07 +0000

Agence France-Presse

South Korea Thursday criticised an "unhelpful" visit to North Korea by a senior aide to Japan's prime minister, saying it weakened the united front needed to deal with Pyongyang.

Isao Iijima arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday on a visit that clearly surprised both Seoul and Washington, which have been working closely with Tokyo on coordinating North Korea policy.

South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Tai-Young said it was "important" that the US and its two close allies continue to work in tandem.

Abe adviser Iijima meets N. Korea party secretary Kim Yong Il

Kyodo News International — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:17:03 +0000

Kyodo News International

An adviser to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held talks Wednesday with a senior official of North Korea's Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang, the North's official media reported.

Details of the meeting between Isao Iijima and Kim Yong Il, a secretary of the party's Central Committee, were not immediately known from a single-paragraph dispatch by Korean Central News Agency, but the two sides are believed to have discussed ways to address the issue of North Korea's abduction of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s.

Japan PM Abe says may meet with North Korea leader

Agence France-Presse — Wed, 15 May 2013 07:30:32 +0000

Agence France-Presse

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Wednesday he may meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un if it could help resolve the longstanding issue of Pyongyang's kidnapping of Japanese citizens.

"If a summit meeting is deemed as an important means in considering ways to resolve the abduction issue, we must take it into consideration as a matter of course in negotiating with them," Abe told a parliamentary committee.

The prime minister, responding to a question from an opposition lawmaker, was speaking the day after his senior aide arrived in Pyongyang on a surprise visit.

SKorean spies accused of boosting ruling party on Internet chips at agency's credibility

The Canadian Press — Mon, 13 May 2013 09:01:06 +0000

The Canadian Press

SEOUL, South Korea - The scandal shaking up South Korea's main spy agency is not cloak-and-dagger stuff, but the kind of low-grade trickery anyone with an Internet connection could pull off. And the target was not Seoul's opaque rival to the north, but the country's own people.

S. Korea president apologises for sex assault scandal

Agence France-Presse — Mon, 13 May 2013 07:15:32 +0000

Agence France-Presse

South Korean President Park Geun-Hye personally apologised Monday for an "unsavoury" incident during her US summit visit that led to the dismissal of her chief spokesman.

Yoon Chang-Jung was sacked over allegations that he had sexually harassed a female intern -- a Korean-American -- while accompanying Park on her May 5-9 trip.

"I feel apologetic that an unsavoury incident... occurred near the end of my visit to the US and greatly disappointed the people," Park told a meeting of senior aides.

S. Korea leader offers peace steps on North

Agence France-Presse — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:46:16 +0000

Agence France-Presse

South Korea's president proposed small peace steps Wednesday with North Korea including a park on the tense border but said that the communist state had to give up its nuclear weapons.

A day after an air-tight show of unity with US President Barack Obama, President Park Geun-Hye vowed in an address to the US Congress that any fresh "provocations" by North Korea would be "met decisively."

S.Korea president proposes peace park with N.Korea

Agence France-Presse — Wed, 08 May 2013 18:18:17 +0000

Agence France-Presse

South Korea's president on Wednesday proposed an international park on the tense border with North Korea as part of a peace initiative to bring down soaring tensions in the region.

"The Demilitarized Zone must live up to its name, a zone that strengthens the peace, not undermines it," President Park Geun-Hye told a joint meeting of the US House of Representatives and Senate.

"It is with this vision in mind that I hope to work toward an international park inside the DMZ. It will be a park that sends a message of peace to all of humanity," she said.

Major Chinese bank shuts account of N. Korea's main forex bank

Kyodo News International — Tue, 07 May 2013 17:05:59 +0000

Kyodo News International

The state-run Bank of China has shut down the account of North Korea's main foreign exchange bank and halted transactions with it, news reports said Tuesday, in what may be a sanction by Beijing on Pyongyang for its recent long-range missile launch and third nuclear test.

China's largest foreign exchange bank gave no reason for the closure of the account of Foreign Trade Bank, which the United States has accused of helping finance North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile programs, the reports said, citing a brief statement issued by the Chinese lender.

Hashimoto clarifies remarks on "comfort women" after flak

Kyodo News International — Tue, 07 May 2013 16:30:16 +0000

Kyodo News International

Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto on Wednesday sought to clarify his remarks on a system to recruit women into sexual servitude for Japan's soldiers during World War II, saying he personally does not condone the scheme.

Two days after he made controversial remarks that the so-called comfort women were "necessary to maintain discipline" in the Japanese military, Hashimoto told reporters he simply stated a fact that people at the time had that kind of view.

Ban praises S. Korean leader's 'firm' stance on Pyongyang

Agence France-Presse — Mon, 06 May 2013 17:30:42 +0000

Agence France-Presse

UN leader Ban Ki-moon praised the "firm" stance taken by South Korea's new president Park Geun-Hye over provocation by rival North Korea in talks at the UN headquarters on Monday, a spokesman said.

North Korea dominated the meeting between the two South Korean officials before Park flies to Washington for her first summit with US President Barack Obama.

Ban, a former South Korean foreign minister, "praised the president for her firm, but measured response to recent provocative actions" by North Korea, said UN spokesman Martin Nesirky.

N. Korea says will not use jailed American as bargaining chip

Kyodo News International — Sun, 05 May 2013 14:00:21 +0000

Kyodo News International

North Korean said Sunday that it has no plans to use a U.S. citizen recently sentenced to 15 years of hard labor as a bargaining chip with the United States, according to the country's official media.

A spokesman for the country's Foreign Ministry also said that Pyongyang will not be inviting any U.S. figures to visit the country in order to resolve the situation surrounding the American, Kenneth Bae, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.